Andy Carroll will be handy says pal Jose Enrique

FOR someone handed his debut within 24 hours of arriving at Anfield, Jose Enrique’s assured performance on the opening day of the season suggested Liverpool have unearthed a solution to one of their most pressing problems.

Just as comforting for the club’s supporters, however, will be left-back Enrique’s insistence that Andy Carroll will also prove to be worth every penny.

Enrique, is better placed than most to offer an insight into Carroll’s attributes, having played alongside him at Newcastle, and he responded to questions being raised about the £35million striker by offering a glowing testament to his skills.

Carroll’s influence in the second half of last season was disrupted by injury and, though his impact against Sunderland on Saturday was also muted, Enrique believes it is only a matter of time before he makes his mark.

“For us, in Newcastle, he was brilliant and I am sure he will be brilliant for Liverpool,” said Enrique. “He is a very good player. When a club like Liverpool pay £35m for Andy, it is not lucky. It is because they think he is a good player. I am sure he is going to do a lot of very good things.

For us, in Newcastle, he was brilliant and I am sure he will be brilliant for Liverpool

Jose Enrique

“I watched him play last season and I knew he wasn’t fit here. I don’t care if the player is Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, if a player is not fit, he is not fit and cannot play properly.”

Enrique was thrust into the Liverpool spotlight early because Fabio Aurelio suffered the latest of a string of injuries when damaging his Achilles tendon in training last week.

Daniel Agger also suffered a dead leg against Sunderland, but Martin Skrtel is expected to join his team-mates again following a calf problem, while Steven Gerrard is ready to push on in his recovery from groin surgery.

Gerrard will not be back before England’s Euro 2012 qualifiers with Bulgaria and Wales at the start of next month, but manager Kenny Dalglish said: “Stevie will be stepping up his recovery this week.”